


When Is a Second Chance Not a Second Chance?

by Zetal (Rodinia)



Series: Soulmate Dreams [21]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: F/M, Somewhat Ambiguous Ending, Soulmate AU, keeping secrets, unhealthy relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-24
Updated: 2017-04-24
Packaged: 2018-10-23 09:55:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,092
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10717089
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rodinia/pseuds/Zetal
Summary: When Mari was sixteen, her soulmate found her.  When Mari was eighteen, she found the courage to take her life back from him.  She didn't explain how or why for ten years.Phichit had the weirdest birthday ever.  What exactly are you supposed to do when your dream tells you your soulmate is your best friend's older sister who, by the way, already met her soulmate?





	When Is a Second Chance Not a Second Chance?

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Phichit Chulanont Week, Day 1: Free Day.

Mari was just about to turn eighteen. She wasn’t particularly looking forward to her dream. She knew exactly who her soulmate was, and he was an asshole. Sleep was her chance to not have to deal with Kokei.

Hiroko, Toshiya, and Yuuri were braced for Mari to be surly. So when Mari started whistling while she started the morning’s chores, they all looked at each other in shock. Hiroko sent Yuuri off to school and Toshiya to check the hot springs. “Mari? Are you okay?”

Mari smiled, something Hiroko hadn't seen in far too long. “I’m great, Mom. Seriously. If you don’t mind, I’m going to school when I finish this.”

Hiroko took the broom from Mari. “Go on now, if you’d like. The sooner you go, the less likely Kokei catches you on the way. It won’t stop him from pulling you out of class…”

Mari shrugged. “I’m eighteen. He can’t force me to go.”

“That’s true, dear. Go on then, I’ll finish this.” Mari nodded and tied her purple headband around her hair before heading out.

There was a nasty scene when Kokei showed up expecting Mari to be at the onsen. Hiroko was pleasant but firm that Mari was not there and she wouldn’t tell him where her daughter had gone. When Kokei started acting aggressive, Toshiya stepped in and told him to leave. Another nasty scene when Kokei went to the school and tried to get Mari out. Mari refused to go. When Kokei grabbed her arm to try to make her go, she drove a fist into his eye.

Everyone was confused by the change in Mari. She’d gone from beaten down and hopeless to standing up for herself. When Kokei called for bail money, she told him to enjoy his time in jail and hung up. The next day she got herself a new phone. It was years before she spoke to Kokei again.

 

It was always nice to have Yuuri and Viktor visiting. They’d come out to Detroit to celebrate Phichit’s 18th birthday with him and help him investigate his soulmate if necessary. Phichit was always grateful for the friends he’d made by writing a simple fan letter years ago. Of course, after last night, he wasn’t sure he could ever look Yuuri in the eye again.

“So? Is it anyone we know?” Yuuri asked when he noticed Phichit sitting up. His phone buzzed before Phichit could answer. “Hang on, it’s Mari… huh?” He looked up at Phichit. “Do you have any idea why Mari would be asking if you’re awake?”

“Yeah. I know.” He took Yuuri’s phone and called Mari.

Mari sounded pretty calm about Phichit’s entire world being shook. “Hey. Figured you’d have a lot of questions.”

“Of course I have questions! What was Kokei?” Yuuri shot Phichit a freaked-out look, which Phichit ignored. He honestly had no idea what to tell Yuuri right now.

“My soulmate. The other one.” There was a pause that sounded like Mari taking a drag from a cigarette. “Not yours. You two couldn’t interact in the dream. He was not happy about you being there, you weren’t particularly bothered.”

Phichit's free hand clenched into a fist. “I would’ve been if I’d known what would happen. Why didn’t you ever say anything to me?”

“At first because of Kokei being there. I owe you a lot of thanks, by the way. Finding out about you, that’s what gave me the balls to stand up for myself. Even at eight you were a smart kid. Told me that being alone was better than being with someone who treated me and my family and friends like dirt.”

“Not to mention you…”

“Hey. No. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to. I haven’t been sitting around waiting for you to grow up. I’ve built myself a life that I’m enjoying. If you don’t want to make the mental transition from your best friend’s big sister to your whatever, that works for me. I've never looked at you as a second chance. You're a person. A good one. I am not going to do to you what Kokei did to me. Anyway, once Kokei was dealt with, I needed time to get past that, and then you ended up being my little brother’s BFF. I figured I’d give you some time to establish yourself as nothing like him before I sprung the soulmate news on anyone. Can’t imagine Yuuri feeling the need to threaten you now. And then I figured may as well wait until you’re eighteen. Things are gonna be awkward for a while.”

Phichit took a deep breath, forcing himself to relax. He'd always liked Mari for her easygoing take on life, even if he was a lot more high-strung. “Okay. So what happens now?”

“I dunno.” Another pull on the cigarette. “Get whatever contact info you don’t have for me from Yuuri. Any time you wanna talk, I’m here to listen. Figure out what you want and we’ll go from there.”

“What about what you want?” Phichit had no idea what he wanted, but he did know what he didn't want. He didn't want to hurt Mari.

“I’ve had ten years to figure that out. You need time to think about it when you’re not influenced by me.”

“Okay. Might take me a while, Mari.”

Mari laughed at that. “Yeah, not sure I’d trust a decision that came tomorrow. Enjoy your birthday.”

“Thanks.” Phichit hung up and found his phone to copy the contact info. When he was done, he tossed Yuuri’s phone back to him. “Sorry about stealing your phone.”

“No problem… what was that about?”

“Don’t pretend you weren’t listening in.”

“I was. Your end of the conversation wasn’t helpful and I couldn’t hear Mari’s. Something about Kokei and asking what Mari wants and that makes no sense because Mari doesn’t want anything when it comes to Kokei and if she did, no offense, but you wouldn’t be who she’d go to about it.”

Phichit couldn't help laughing at that. “Actually, I would.”

Yuuri blinked at him in confusion. “Why? Why you instead of me, or Yuuko, or Minako?”

“You and Yuuko and Minako aren’t her soulmate.”

“No, that’s Kokei.”

“And me. She has two.”

Yuuri dropped his phone. “What?”

“She never said anything to protect me from Kokei and from people who would judge me by him, but she’s known all along.”

“Okay, it goes without saying that you are my best friend and I love you, but if you screw my sister over the way Kokei did I will not hesitate to make your life a living hell.”

Phichit threw up his hands in mock frustration. “See, that’s _exactly_ what Mari was trying to avoid by not telling anyone!”

“So… you and Mari, huh?” Yuuri sounded a bit freaked out by the idea, which Phichit certainly couldn't blame him for. He was, too.

Which, unfortunately, meant he didn't have an answer for Yuuri. “I don’t know. I’m supposed to think about what I want and get back to her.”

 

For the next few months, Phichit talked to Mari a lot more than he had in the past. He’d never really done that before, talked to Mari when it wasn’t about Yuuri, and the more he did the more he realized just how cool she really was. When one of his beloved hamsters died, Mari’s lowkey sympathy was much more appreciated than Viktor’s dramatic mourning egged on by Yuuri. When he told her his Grand Prix assignments, she immediately made arrangements to be there, both in America and France. Yuuri would be in America too, but his other assignment was Russia. Viktor had Canada and Russia. “Are you really going to be okay? That’s four weekends in five weeks. Will your parents be able to manage?” Phichit asked when she Facetimed to tell him.

“Meh. Thanks to Yuuri, things have picked up in Hasetsu. There are some people here that we’ve made friends with who’d love to have two months’ work, earn some extra money for New Year’s. What did you guys do to piss off the committee enough that none of you got Japan?”

Phichit giggled. “Who knows? I’m blaming Viktor.”

Mari snorted. “Usually a safe bet. If you’ve announced it I missed it, what’s your theme for the year?”

“It’s kind of dumb. Coming of age. My free skate’s to a song from one of the Romeo and Juliet movies, and my short program… well, I about gave Ciao Ciao a heart attack.”

“Yeah? What is it?”

“You’ll find out when you see it in Chicago.”

Mari rolled her eyes. “You spend too much time with Viktor.”

“I know. He’s infectious." Phichit sighed. "It’s not like I’ll get to see your face when you recognize it.”

“Yeah, you’ll have more important things on your mind. So come on, tell me now.”

“All right, fine. Just because Yuuri already knows and you’ll beat it out of him if I don’t. Give me a sec.” Phichit woke up his laptop and started the music.

Mari’s shriek of delight was worth it. “You’re kidding me! You’re skating to Takao?”

“It’s a good song! Lots of energy, dropping one verse made the length right, fits the theme...”

 

Skate America was a blast, with Mari, Yuuri, and Phichit’s new friend Leo all there. Phichit placed sixth, which was pretty good for him, and Leo knew Chicago well enough to know all the best places to go in their free time.

The Trophee Eric Bompard was different. It was just him and Mari, which probably should have felt a lot more awkward than it was. Neither of them had ever been to Bordeaux, although Phichit had gotten some advice from Viktor. Chris was there too, and he hung out with them some of the time, when he wasn’t off with his own soulmate. This time, thanks to a couple mistakes by others and his own hard work, Phichit took silver. His exhibition skate was another Takao song, this one about falling for an older woman and hoping she loves him back.

Afterwards, he met up with Mari to go get some late-night ice cream. Halfway through her cone, Mari finally brought it up. “Was that a message, or do you just like the song?”

Phichit had planned a whole speech for this moment. He'd even practiced in front of his hamsters. He could not remember a single word now, so he stalled. “What do you think?”

“I think it was like watching Yuuri skating. I love my brother, but he can’t skate a performance he doesn’t relate to somehow. If I didn’t think you probably meant it, I wouldn’t have asked.”

“I know that the main thing you want is to not put any pressure on me to be something just because you want me to, but I think at this point it’s only fair for you to be able to say what you want.”

“Yeah, fair enough. It’s changed since April anyway, so I’m just as glad I didn’t say anything back then. Back then you were just my kid brother’s little friend. Now, you’re Phichit. I don’t know if it’s because of Kokei or just how I’ve always been, but I’m not looking for some fairy tale sweep me off my feet romance. I don’t want someone who expects me to be a model housewife or full-time can’t live without you girlfriend. I know Yuuri’s really happy with Viktor and their life, but the thought of being in something like that makes it hard for me to breathe.”

“They’re adorable and it’s obvious to anyone who sees them for two seconds that they’re soulmates who are completely in love with each other and a shining example of how the system is supposed to work, but I’m with you. Not what I want for myself." Phichit's phone buzzed, which he ignored - although it did make him think of something. "I have to admit, social media would probably make it look like that.”

“Maybe. Social media does that. Anyway, I want to be more than just your friend. Still not sure how I feel about the thought of actually getting married, but I’d like to be your girlfriend. If you’re interested in me that way.”

“I am. So, what now?”

“Well, first we finish the ice cream.” Phichit giggled. “Then if you’re up for it we head back to the hotel and pick a room. If you’re not, I dunno. Find somewhere to look at the stars?”

**Author's Note:**

> If anyone knows the name of the group Takao is supposed to be in, let me know and I'll fix it!


End file.
